Picking out my new tires.

[JAMAS]

terra grapplers or BFG all terrains would work great for you..

or those new ones that KAT just got...something LTZ

I would love the BFG all terrains, but they dont make them in the same size as I have now (265/60/18). Do you think I would have any issue with 265/65/18?

[nfpgasmask]

You know, not to knock the BFG A/Ts, but I had the A/Ts on prior to my M/Ts, and with the snow, the M/Ts win hands down. At least from my experience, the A/Ts would easily pack up, and I had at least 3 scary experiences while trying to stop in the snow/ice with these tires. Once I upgraded to the BFG M/Ts (granted I went from 245s to 265s) I really have had very little traction problems in the snow, and off road they were 100 times grippier than the A/Ts. I suppose they are a little louder though.

FWIW - Bart

[pbkid]

I would love the BFG all terrains, but they dont make them in the same size as I have now (265/60/18). Do you think I would have any issue with 265/65/18?

i dont know all that much about tires...talk to someone who really knows their stuff... richie taylor just did a nice write up on tire info about 4 months ago IIRC...maybe talk to him about changing the 60 to 65

[etlsport]

there is a full 1" difference in diameter from the 60 series to the 65 series.. that will be heavier and change the speed your engine/transmission run at, so youll notice a slight decrease in acceleration and handling.. but your vx will sit 1/2" higher for offroad purposes.. they are about the same size (height) as a 285/60/18 terra grappler than many here have used and loved, so i think you would be ok as far as fitting.. if youre like me though and push your vx through turns hard i think youll be happier with the smaller size,

right now the tires im looking at are..

nitto terra grappler 255/60/18
goodyear fortera tripletred 265/60/18 (this is probably what ill end up with)
goodyear wrangler duratrac (would have to get smaller rims probably but i really like this tire)
bridgestone dueler APT.. not sure about sizing on this one but i do like the tire itself
also considered the falken ZEIX TZ-01 265/60/18 for on-road only

things to look out for when you are buying your tires...

make sure they are at least an S speed rating.. H (this is what came factory) or V would be ideal

generally the larger your voids between tread, the better your weather traction is

directional tires are better for wet handling, but can cause problems if you have a full size spare, and you dont find many truck tires that are directional anyway

if you are calling around for prices.. make sure you make the shop specify whether you are being quoted the tire price or the installed tire price.. theres usually a pretty big difference (20-30 bucks/ tire in most cases)

[JAMAS]

I am kinda liking the General Grabber AT-2 in a 255/60R18.

A little smaller than what I have now, but that's alright. (10.03" wide vs. 10.4" wide). The only thing I noticed was that the 255/60R18 was "NOT RATED FOR SEVERE SNOW", but the 265/70R18 are rated for severe snow.

That kind of makes sense because they would have a wider contact with the ground, but when you look at the 16" sizes, it gets confusing.

255/65R16 NOT RATED FOR SEVERE SNOW
255/70R16 is Rated for severe snow

Both of those have the same width, just larger rim to tire size.

I guess my question is, is there anything else that is different about the 255/60R18, other than its not as wide? Seems like it was just outside the range of the severe snow rating.

[Riff Raff]

JAMAS--- The main reason a certain Grabber AT2 is not Snowflake/Mountain rated is primarily due to a combination of both "narrow tread width" and "shallow tread depth". Not all of the tire data is accurate on the TireRack website, although it's great for determining which are Snowflake/Mountain rated and which aren't. For accurate data, you need to go to the actual manufacturer website of GENERAL TIRE - USA.

For example, the Grabber AT2 in P255/60R18 (30" O.D./39 lbs) has a tread depth of only 13/32nds (per factory website). The AT2 in P265/70R18 (32" O.D./46 lbs) has a tread depth of 17/32nds. Obvisously; the deeper tread depth of 17/32nds is going to give the tire more biting traction, and will last longer before it finally reaches the tire's wear bars.

By contrast; the Snowflake/Mountain rated PRO-COMP - All Terrain in P285/60R18 (31.3" O.D./43 lbs) has a tread depth of 12/32nds (shallower than the 13/32nds of the AT2), but since it's also a wide 285 series tire, it has more tire patch area on the road surface enabling greater overall traction. Thus, it earned the Snowflake/Mountain rating.

I get the impression from your postings, that you favor a narrower tire in the 255--265 series width range, and one that is also Snowflake/Mountain rated. Given those parameters, the Grabber AT2 in P265/70R18 (32" O.D./46 lbs) might be an option for you. This particular tire will give you 1.25" increased ground clearance over stock, and comes in OWL for additional tire bling. It will easily fit on a stock non-lifted VX with only possible minor trimming of the front cladding if mounted on OEM 18x7 VX rims. It will also nicely "fill-up" the large gaps between tire and fender within the wheelwells.

If you decide to go with the smaller non-Snowflake/Mountain rated Grabber AT2 in size P255/60R18 (30" O.D./39 lbs) with 13/32nds tread depth, they will still dig like crazy in the snow and offer superior traction. It narrowly missed-out being Snowflake/Mountain rated by only 1/32nds of tread depth. If the tire had 14/32nds, it would have attained the Snowflake/Mountain rating. The really cool thing about the Grabber AT2 in P255/60R18 is that it weighs only 39 lbs!!! This is only 5 lbs over stock OEM tire weight-- virtually unheard of in an aggressive A/T tire and will greatly help maintain the VX's original quick-n-nimble sportiness performance.

Just a few days ago, I mounted the Grabber AT2 in P275/65R18 (32" O.D./44 lbs) on the stock OEM 18x7 rims. They fit bolt-on perfect on my 100% stock VX without any modification, except for some minor trimming on the front edge of cladding. No "lifting" of any kind is required, and no front torsion bar cranks.

In every possible tire catagory, the Grabber AT2 blows away the competition. It is without a doubt; the very best A/T tire for the VX, period.

[BeeVenom]

I just bought a new set of Yoko Parada's 'Spec-X' all season tires on new chrome spoke wheels and love them. Although I don't drive my BeeVenom in the winter, my buddy had the Yoko's on his truck and loved them in the snow. These things have be fabulous in rain, wind, dry and hard cornering PLUS they're quiet. No complaints whatsoever!
My Yoko's are the 265-50R20's and I got them from TireRack, mounted and balanced on the new wheels and ready to go. They look awesome on my '01 Proton. Hope this helps, Scott in Michigan.

[JAMAS]

Hopefully the sender wont mind, but I received a PM with this message and wanted to get others opinions.

......"Jamas, a guy at my tire place said those (2) smaller sized non snoflake rated grabbers were made out of a different rubber compound. Thats the only reason they arent severe snowrated."....


Riff Raff's comments made sense about why it wouldn't have been snow rated. However, why would the company make a tire with a different compound just for a smaller size. Doesn't make sense to me.

Thanks!